How do you optimize your automated processes?

The first step to beginning your Automation journey is not to identify a single process. It is to create a inventory of all your processes. Why? You don’t want to start off selecting a process because it was the first to come to your mind or because it is the easiest to automate or most complicated. Your first process should be the one that provides a solid, quantifiable return on your investment, while improving both your client and employee experiences - a triple win - where your business as well as your clients and employees all benefit. Reach out to me if you’d like to discuss in more detail. I’m always open to new connections! Matt Rebeiro - Challenge the Status Quo #ProcessEngineering #LeanSixSigma #lss #bpm #automation

Most people know which process they want to automate but often don't know the root cause of the issue they're experiencing. What takes up so much time? Is the process too complex, or does it have unnecessary steps? I always recommend creating a process inventory and mapping the business processes to get a clear idea of your processes and how they relate to each other. It's much easier then to understand how the processes relate to each other and how to optimize them.

Optimizing automated processes starts by identifying which one to focus on. Once, when I was leading a team, we had a process running smoothly but realized it wasn’t delivering the results we expected. We started by tracking each step of the automation and asking, "Where is it getting stuck?" This helped us understand the small issues that were holding back the entire process. Finding the right process is key to making everything run better.

The importance of this step cannot be understated when it comes to process automation. Far too often, organizations are looking to automate processes they haven’t fully taken the time to understand. As a result, they aren’t aware of where the process is broken or where workarounds are in place for legitimate reasons. As a result, automation exacerbates all the existing flaws in the process creating an even bigger mess than anyone plans for.

To optimize automated processes, you first need to analyze the current workflow. Look at each step to see where delays or errors are happening. Once you understand the process, you can make adjustments, such as updating software or removing unnecessary steps. When I worked on automating a billing system, we found that a lot of time was wasted on data entry. By analyzing the process, we realized we could remove some manual steps and let the software handle more of the work. This made the whole system faster and reduced mistakes, improving both speed and accuracy.

When designing automation, it's important to first understand the process you're trying to improve. Start by mapping out each task and decide which parts can be automated. After that, choose the right tools and set up the automation to make things more efficient. I remember helping design an automated reporting system. We began by breaking down the manual steps our team followed. Then, we used software to automate data collection and report generation. This saved hours of work and ensured reports were always ready on time without errors. It made life easier for everyone.

Even when preventative techniques, such as pair programming, are used, optimizing automation still requires a continuous learning model with frequent testing, reflection, and modification. Various tests that can be applied for this purpose include integration tests, performance tests, unit tests, or end-to-end tests. After testing, the test results, feedback, defects, and learning lessons need to be properly registered. Performance results should be benchmarked against the pre-determined metrics and KPIs. Optimization steps can then be implemented to prepare the automation solution for deployment.